The one where my phone was abducted

Two weekends went by, where I did not post. The reason? My trusted sidekick, my phone went missing. Or more accurately, was stolen right out of my pocket.

So, last Friday night, after meeting a couple of friends, I was going back home, through an absolutely crowded street. I had my phone in the pocket of my coat since my tiny purse wasn’t closing with my mega-sized phone inside. Crossing the street, I realised that my phone wasn’t in my pocket any longer and that’s when someone brushed past me and disappeared into the crowd.

Fast-forwarding a panic attack and some near breakdowns, I decided to do the rational thing, calling my parents and asking what to do.

Seriously though, I tried locating it and erasing data, which didn’t really work, since I didn’t have a data pack and the phone was switched off. I changed all the passwords instead.

Then, I went ahead and filed a complaint with the police. They were really nice, patient and consoling, but at the end of the day, it’s all just a waiting and hoping game.

I went and bought a new phone. But, I was still phoneless for about 5 days. And that taught me far too much.

5 things that I realised on going off the network grid for 5 days.

People lived without smartphones 10 years back. I like the real-life face-to-face meetings and conversations than the virtual ones.
I must buy an alarm clock.
No group hangout is complete without everyone staring into their phones for at least 30% of the total time.
It is okay if you don’t log into Facebook or Instagram or any social media channels once every 10 minutes.
I live in a very beautiful city.

On a far more serious note, I have become far more paranoid of my new phone and started protecting it like a baby. Also, it is absolutely terrible to lose your phone (that too, one beautiful, brand new limited edition red iPhone 7 Plus). Far more so, when you have just moved into a new place alone, and most of your friends and family live in another country.

I wouldn’t want it to ever happen again, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone else, but the five phone-less days did me a lot of good. Maybe, I wouldn’t mind trying that out again. Going off the network grid for a weekend or so. Not losing my phone. Obviously.